Camila Sosa
Considering the drama surrounding the MLB pre-season at the beginning of the year, the free agency had to come to a halt thanks to the lockout that had all of baseball at a standstill for more than 90 days, and the situation was even on the verge of a major delay to which it was subjected. With Opening Day just two days away, let’s list the biggest contracts created in the National League both before and after the lockout in free agency heading into the 2022 season.
These are the five biggest contracts of the National League in this pre-season 2022 free agency.
5.- Kyle Schwarber – Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were definitely one of the most active teams during the restoration of free agency in the month of March, and their first major signing of the pre-season was Kyle Schwarber who signed to a four-year, $79M contract, giving him an average of $19,7M per season.
With the implementation of the universal designated hitter, the 29-year-old veteran’s best options were no longer teams in the American League, and the Phillies were the most interested in the power hitter to make him their starter at the position. Considering his 2021 campaign with the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox, Schwarber had a .266/.374/.554 batting line along with 32 homers, 71 RBIs, 76 runs scored and 19 doubles in 113 games played.
4.- Nick Castellanos – Philadelphia Phillies
A couple of days after signing Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies added a second outfielder and candidate to take turns at the designated hitter position with the signing of Nick Castellanos to a five-year, $100M total contract, which leaves him with an average salary of $20M annually.
Castellanos had the best season of his career with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021, hitting .309/.362/.576 with 34 homers, 100 RBIs, 95 runs scored and 38 doubles in 138 games, earning his first All-Star Game selection and his first Silver Slugger award. The addition of Castellanos doesn’t improve Philadelphia’s defense much but it certainly brings a big bat to the team’s starting order.
3.- Max Scherzer – New York Mets
In one of the few stellar signings prior to MLB’s civic hiatus, Max Scherzer secured his next three-year career with a pact of the same duration with the New York Mets, which also made him the the highest paid player in MLB today, thanks to a $130M dollar figure, which leaves him with an average annual salary of $43,3M through the end of the 2024 campaign.
Despite his 37 years of age, the right-hander continues to be one of the best pitchers in the major leagues, with an excellent season in 2021: a 15-4 record with an ERA of 2.46, WHIP of 0.86, FIP of 2.97 and 236 strikeouts in 30 starts with the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also accumulated his eighth All-Star Game appearance and third place in the voting for the 2021 Cy Young Award.
2.- Freddie Freeman – Los Angeles Dodgers
Finally, who was an eternal member of the Atlanta Braves left the franchise to go to one of the top contenders to dethrone them this season: the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team agreed to the request of Freeman for a six-year, $162M contract, which would keep him earning an average of $27M annually until his 37th birthday.
After winning the MVP award in 2020 and capturing his first career championship with the Braves in 2021, Freeman will be one of the most important bats in the coming years within the organization from California, and despite being in what many would consider the veteran’s ”last years of production,” we’ve seen no signs that his offensive profile will change anytime soon: .300/.393/.503 with 31 homers, 25 doubles, 83 RBI, 120 runs scored (thus he led the National League) in 159 games played in his last major league campaign.
1.- Kris Bryant – Colorado Rockies
In a surprise move by both the Rockies and Bryant, they agreed to the longest and largest contract in the entire National League this preseason: seven years and $182M, putting him up for an average annual salary of $26M through the end of the 2028 campaign at the earliest.
Bryant played the 2021 season with the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants, being a more-than-competent hitter for both organizations: .265/.353/.481 with 25 homers, 32 doubles, 73 RBIs, 86 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts over 144 appearances. While these are not the numbers that characterized Kris’ best MLB years, the hope is that by hitting in one of the best hitter’s parks like Coors Field, he can catapult Colorado’s offense back to the top of the standings.
